The Badlapur incident has sparked significant unrest. The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has announced a statewide bandh (shutdown) in Maharashtra on August 24. This decision comes in response to rising crimes against women and rape incidents, and perceived insensitivity from the government.
In Thane district’s Badlapur, there was outrage over the sexual assault of two 4-year-old girls. Angry residents protested vigorously in Badlapur, leading to a police case being filed against the protesters at the Badlapur railway station.
The political response has intensified. Supriya Sule, a leader from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Sharad Pawar, criticized the Maharashtra government and demanded the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also handles the Home Ministry. Sule accused the government, led by Eknath Shinde, of being negligent about women’s safety. She claimed that the government is more focused on splitting parties than addressing public concerns.
Sule argued that if immediate action had been taken by the Education Minister after the incident in the school, there would have been no need for protests. She also questioned what happened to the Shakti law, which was previously introduced to protect women.
Protests erupted in Badlapur on Tuesday as angry parents, local residents, and others blocked railway tracks and vandalized the school where the assault occurred. They demanded strict punishment for the accused, who was arrested on August 17.
